Tech Reference

How to add and customize a Google Calendar to separate your work and personal schedules

Google calendar
You can add a new calendar to your Google Calendar in a few quick steps. iJeab / Shutterstock.com
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Aside from the paper calendar that hangs in the kitchen that my wife keeps updated, my Google calendars are the only place I record upcoming meetings, events, birthdays, and anything else I need to remember.

I love using Google Calendar because, unlike a note jotted down on paper, I can't lose it. And I can access it from my computer, tablet, or phone from anywhere on earth I have web access.

Adding a new Google Calendar is a quick and easy process, and it's worth mastering. Keeping separate calendars for different areas of your life helps you compartmentalize your work and home schedules.

Just make sure you cross-reference each of your calendars when making plans, as it's easy to forget what you have on each individual calendar.

How to add a new Google Calendar and customize it

1. Log into your Google account, then click the Google Apps logo, which is the square formed by nine dots at the top right corner of the screen.

2. Click on the Calendar icon, which is a blue box with the number 31 on it.

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Open Google Calendar.  Steven John/Business Insider

3. Locate the words "Other calendars" on the taskbar at the left and click the plus symbol (+) beside it.

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Click the plus sign to open a menu where you can create a new calendar.  Steven John/Business Insider

4. Click the words "Create new calendar."

5. On the page that appears, enter a calendar name, an optional description, and select your preferred time zone, then hit the blue box that reads "Create calendar."

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Enter in your calendar's information, including its name.  Steven John/Business Insider

And there you have it, your brand new Google Calendar.

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Steven John has been a freelance writer for more than a dozen years and has been a regular contributor to Business Insider since 2017. His work includes a focus on the tech world, covering companies including Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Google, and others. He also reviews restaurants, shares how-to cooking articles, and writes general interest pieces.Steven also writes for publications including Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, Forbes, and more. In the past, he also wrote for New York Magazine, Mashed, U.S. News & World Report and other outlets. He runs his own outdoor lifestyle site, Dad Gear Review, and co-hosts the Fact Trekkers podcast with his son. He has had two novels published, Three A.M. and Outrider. He graduated from Emerson College with a degree in communications focused on filmmaking.He is an avid outdoorsman and can be frequently found in a kayak or on a mountain trail, often with his family along for the adventure.Expertise:Tech industryTech hardwareOutdoorsCookingRestaurantsDIYPopular articles:Microsoft: A history of the software giant co-founded by Bill Gates, its products and services, jobs, layoffs, and moreYouTube is a major entertainment force. Here's the platform's history, plus how to create a channel and upload videos.Inside the life and career of Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, billionaire, and philanthropistTim Cook net worth: How the Apple leader earns and spends his moneyBecoming an Amazon seller is a simple process. Here's what's involved, plus how you make money and get paid.